The Patriot Post Digest 11-21-2019

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The Patriot Post Digest 11-21-2019
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest

Nov. 21, 2019

https://patriotpost.us/digests/66927-mid-day-digest-2019-11-21

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Sondland’s “bombshell” testimony turned out to be a dud.1
What’s the deal with all those Epstein memes and an FBI probe?2
Daily Features: More Analysis3, Columnists4, Headlines5, Opinion in Brief6, Short Cuts7, Memes8, and Cartoons9.

IN BRIEF

‘Schiff Show’ Roundup: Sondland Testimony a ‘Bombshell’ Dud10

“I think today’s testimony is among the most significant evidence to date,” proclaimed House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) at the midpoint break of U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s testimony. “We now can see the veneer has been torn away,” he added. And what was this bombshell “evidence” that Schiff insists confirms that President Donald Trump is guilty of an impeachable offense? Sondland’s opening statement, in which he asks, “Was there a quid pro quo? The answer is yes.”

That is what sent Schiff spiking the football. However, following the break it became clear that Sondland’s “bombshell” was in fact a dud. “Did the president ever tell you personally about any preconditions for anything?” Republican counsel Stephen Castor asked Sondland. “No,” Sondland answered. Castor drilled down further, asking how Sondland knew Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani were engaged in a quid pro quo. Sondland responded that he “assumed” it and that it was “no secret.”

Sondland claimed, “Mr. Giuliani’s requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for President Zelensky.” However, under further questioning, Sondland admitted that he was never directly told by anyone that Trump had tied conditions of investigating the Bidens with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelelnsky’s desired visit with Trump; rather Sondland “presumed” this was the case. Sondland also believed that “in the absence of any credible explanation” for the military aid being withheld, it was due to the fact that Ukraine had not made any public announcement of an investigation into Burisma and Ukraine’s own 2016 election meddling.

Ohio Republican Jim Jordan blasted Sondland for omitting in his opening statement what he had previously testified to in his earlier closed-door hearing — that Trump had explicitly answered his question on Ukraine, “I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. I just want Zelensky to do the right thing and do what he ran on.”

Overall, it was another day where nothing new was learned. However, Schiff finally got what he wanted — a witness explicitly testifying that there was a “quid pro quo.” Expect the Democrats to be writing up articles of impeachment soon.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/66925-schiff-show-roundup-sondland-testimony-a-bombshell-dud

Epstein’s Death: Popular Memes and an FBI Probe11

“Epstein didn’t kill himself” is the punchline of a series of memes12 that has gone viral, as numerous irregularities surrounding the untimely death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have gone unexplained. Fueling the conspiracy theories that Epstein was actually murdered is the fact of the serial pedophile’s ties to high-profile individuals like Bill Clinton, as well as the longrunning list of suspicious deaths of people surrounding the Clintons. And then there’s the Leftmedia coverup of Epstein’s connections to Clinton13.

However, the questions surrounding Epstein’s Aug. 10 suicide while in a jail cell aren’t merely fodder for the tinfoil-hat club or humorous Internet memes. The FBI is now conducting an investigation into the possibility that a “criminal enterprise” was involved in Epstein’s death. Appearing before the Senate on Tuesday, Bureau of Prisons Director Kathleen Hawk Sawyer was asked if the FBI is investigating any possibility of a criminal element involved in Epstein’s death. Sawyer responded that “the FBI is involved and they are looking at criminal enterprise, yes.”

Furthermore, the two prison guards who failed to properly monitor Epstein during the time of his death have been charged “with making false records and conspiring to make false records and to defraud the United States by impairing the lawful functions of the Metropolitan Correctional Center,” reports Fox News. That’s almost certainly a pitiful attempt to cover up their own dereliction of duty, because the indictment reveals14 that no one else approached Epstein’s cell the night of his death.

The reality is that the suspicious circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death were inevitably going to end up as fodder for believing the Clintons or someone else had something to do with it. Hopefully, the FBI’s investigation leads to greater clarity.

In any case, National Review’s Michael Brendan Daugherty explains15 the popularity of the memes with this great insight: “I would estimate that at least half of the people sharing different Epstein memes with me are sharing them in jest. But jest can have a serious point. Sharing ‘Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself’ memes because you believe paranoia stands to reason, or because you think they are funny, is a kind of practice for saying, ‘I think our leadership class and our institutions are capable of every corruption and depravity.’” And indeed they are.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/66908-epsteins-death-popular-memes-and-an-fbi-probe

ON OUR WEBSITE TODAY

Featured Analysis: New York’s Burgeoning Electricity Crisis16 — Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s regime is causing major headaches for New Yorkers.
Demo Debate: What Are They Offering?17 — The fifth presidential debate yielded nothing new — Trump hate and massive government.
Beijing’s Espionage18 — The Chinese “Thousand Talents” program began in 2008 but was not aggressively confronted until 2018.
American Spirit: Sober Bars Help People in Recovery Stay Social19 — “People need connection once they start a recovery program,” says Paul French.
Video: Both Sides More Sure About Trump Than Ever20 — Why do polls say that the impeachment hearings fail to convince anyone?
Humor Video: Cancel Culture in the Middle Ages21 — Cancel culture is as ridiculous as a Monty Python witch hunt, says … The New York Times?

Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Read Schiff’s Desperate Pivot to Perjury and Bribery22. A strategic overview of the Coup, Part 2.

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email every Wednesday, update your subscription here23.